Creative Literacy

The Creative Literacy Project aims to take the existing National Literacy Strategy and bring it to life for teachers and children. Over the last three terms London Bubble has built on existing relationships with schools by developing and enhancing the drama skills of teachers as well as creating new partnerships. These techniques have been incorporated into the classroom, bringing creativity to the children in a sustainable way. These skills can be used by the teachers throughout their teaching careers.

We have continually monitored the success of the project, through consultation with the teachers and children. Teachers have indicated how much they feel the training is relevant to and contributes to the following Primary Strategy targets for literacy:

Building teachers' confidence in planning, over a sequence of literacy hours.

Securing the place of speaking and listening both as a key foundation for literacy and also as an essential component of all effective learning.

This project aims to:

• Develop the classroom teacher’s drama skills by working alongside an experienced drama practitioner from London Bubble.
• Provide opportunities for creative literacy for all participants with a focus on children with English as a second language (ESL) and Special Educational Needs (SEN).
• Build on our existing relationships with primary schools in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey.
• Help to raise literacy levels in the target area by introducing innovative drama echniques mapped against the National Literacy Strategy

This term Creative Literacy has been working in St Johns Catholic and Redriff Primary schools and in the spring term we will be working in St Peters Walworth and Southwark Park Primary. This project is funded by The Sir John Cass Foundation until July 2009, when we will be seeking a new supporter to continue this very successful programme of work.

As part of the STEP festival we added parents sessions to the Creative Literacy sessions this term, follow the link to see some photos of these sessions at St John's Catholic school. http://www.lgfl.net/lgfl/leas/southwark/schools/st-johns/web/school_events/London Bubble Theatre Workshop/

 

Speak Out

Speak Out is a new project that sees theatre practitioners from London Bubble working with an experienced Speech and 

Language Therapist to plan, deliver, reflect upon and disseminate learning from drama work carried out with young people.

Together with Schools and Speech Therapy Service, London Bubble and GLYPT (Greenwich & Lewisham Young People's Theatre) will develop innovative drama based work that builds strong working relationships with schools, pupils and parents.

A speech therapist and drama practitioners will develop a way of giving a voice to those children identified as having a speech and language development need and consequently little voice. They will explore with the children why they want to communicate more effectively, what they want to communicate and to whom. To do this they will draw on models of working developed by professionals already undertaking this work with people with complex disabilities.

We are currently working in Brent Knoll Special Needs School, Kilmorie, Perrymount, Horniman, St Bartholomews and Fairlawn primary schools. This programme is Funded by The Arts Council of England until July 2009 and we are currently seeking funding to build on the success of this programme for a further three years.